Excerpted from Toronto School Board to Ask All High School Students Their Sexual Orientation, by Gudrun Schultz, published Sept 5, 2006, by LifeSite News

The Toronto District School Board is introducing a survey asking high school students to self-identify their sexual orientation, the Canadian Press reported last week.

Ontario students will be asked to provide voluntary information on a variety of questions—for students in grades nine to twelve, those questions will include whether they identify as straight, gay, “lesbian, transgendered, bisexual, queer or two-spirited (an aboriginal term).”

Experts in the field of children’s mental health have suggested the trend in schools toward determining child sexual orientation is dangerously misplaced. George A. Rekers, Ph. D., research director for child and adolescent psychiatry at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, stated that children are particularly vulnerable to confusion in the development of their sexual identity.

Continue reading at LifeSite News…

Excerpted from Gay Republican Tests Party Faithful in Minnesota Primary Fight, by Patrick Condon, published Sept 4, 2006, by Associated Press:

…[Minnesota Senator Paul] Koering, 41, a former dairy farmer and lifelong resident of the area, …often describing himself as a good Catholic boy. He’s an abortion opponent, a supporter of gun and property rights, and an outspoken supporter of veterans.

But in 2005, Koering was the only Republican in the Senate to join Democrats in opposing an effort to force a floor vote on a constitutional gay marriage ban.

That vote stirred up longstanding rumors at the Capitol about Koering’s own sexuality, and within a few days he revealed to the media that he was gay…“We are seeing more instances of openly gay Republicans, but there are still going to be significant parts of the country where that’s going to be difficult to pull off,” Dison said. Like Koering, most prominent gay Republicans came out only after they were in office, including U.S. Rep. Jim Kolbe of Arizona and former U.S. Rep. Steve Gunderson of Wisconsin.

Continue reading in Duluth News Tribune…

Excerpted from “He’s Gay and That’s OK,” by Benjamin Weinthal, published 8/31-9/6/2006 in Gay City News:

The most popular politician in Berlin is gay. Will he continue to make political history by winning a second term as mayor on September 17? The nation’s first openly gay big city mayor, Klaus Wowereit is running an energetic re-election campaign in the city restored to its traditional role as capital in the wake of Germany’s reunification.

Berlin, of course, is also a city with a lively queer culture.

Wowereit (pronounced vovv-er-ite) catapulted himself into political and gay cultural stardom with his eloquently succinct statement outing himself in 2001. “Ich bin schwul und das ist auch gut so”—”I am gay and that’s okay,” declared Wowereit in a televised speech.

…Wowereit was not the first openly gay mayor in Europe—Bertrand Delanoë was elected mayor of Paris in March, 2001, but the Berliner has helped forge a political climate across Germany which has enabled other leading politicians to declare that they too are gay. That could very well be Wowereit’s greatest contribution so far to power politics in Germany. Guido Westerwelle, the chairman of the Free Democratic Party, outed himself in 2004, and Ole von Beust, the mayor of Hamburg and a member of the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), remained mum when his own father outed him (in a matter-of-fact way). Neither Westerwelle nor von Beust suffered any political fallout.

Continue reading at Gay City News…

By J. Matt Barber, AFT Corporate Outreach Director

If you’re a Christian working for the City of Minneapolis, watch your step – your job may already be in jeopardy. In what may be one of the most blatant acts of anti-Christian bigotry and discrimination by an American government agency to date, the Minneapolis Police Department has suspended a Police Psychologist, Dr. Michael Campion of Campion, Barrow & Associates, at the behest of pro-homosexual activists.

What was Dr. Campion’s crime? It seems that until last year he was a board member with the Illinois Family Institute (IFI), a Christian organization which advocates traditional family values. The Minneapolis Police Department admits that because of Dr. Campion’s Christian beliefs, and his former affiliation with IFI, he is now under suspension pending an investigation into his beliefs.

The Minneapolis incident is a sad replay of the character assassination Dr. Campion experienced at the hands of liberal activists in Springfield, Illinois last year. After a liberal rag, the Illinois Times, raised questions of Campion being on the board of IFI, an “anti-choice, anti-gay group,” the Springfield City Council dumped him as psychological screener for police and firefighter candidates.

AN AMERICANS FOR TRUTH PRESS RELEASE

Naperville, IL—In perhaps one of the most egregious cases of anti-Christian discrimination in America to date, the Minneapolis Police Department, at the behest of pro-homosexual activists, has suspended a “highly rated” psychologist, Dr. Michael Campion, because of his past affiliation with a Christian group, the Illinois Family Institute.

Americans for Truth Corporate Outreach Director Matt Barber decried Campion’s suspension as an act of “blatant, illegal discrimination and anti-Christian bigotry–one which should send shivers down the spine of every person of faith.”

“What was Campion’s crime? It seems that three years ago, he was a board member with the Illinois Family Institute (IFI), a Christian organization which advocates traditional family values,” said Barber, who himself was fired by Allstate Insurance Company last year after writing an online article critical of homosexuality.

“This official government action by the Minneapolis Police Department is a transparent and egregious violation of Dr. Campion’s First Amendment rights to both freedom of association and religion,” Barber said.

Excerpted from “Use of police psychologist put on hold for inquiry”, by David Chanen and Rochelle Olson, published Aug 28, 2006, in Minneapolis Star Tribune:

…The issue of Michael A. Campion’s affiliation with a conservative Illinois group that says it opposes the “gay lifestyle” was brought to interim Chief Tim Dolan’s attention on Wednesday during a meeting with the Police Community Relations Council.

Although he said there’s no indication of any bias in Campion’s work, Dolan decided the next day to stop using him until an independent review could take place.

…”Everybody is entitled to their views. But we felt it would be hard to separate them when reviewing people,” said Frank McNeil, a Springfield alderman.

Campion’s business, which is based in Champaign, Ill., has performed psychological testing for 32 years for more than 100 law enforcement agencies, including St. Paul. Last month, Campion received high marks from a consulting firm hired by the Minneapolis Police Department to evaluate his “general procedural goodness and specific cultural fairness” of his testing procedures.

Excerpted from Gov. Arnold Tosses School Moral Codes, published Aug 24, 2006, by WorldNet Daily:

…The governor yesterday signed a bill that would require all businesses and groups receiving state funding — even if it’s a state grant for a student — to condone homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality.

There is no exception for faith-based organizations or business owners with sincerely held religious convictions, critics note.

“The gates of hell are prevailing against the church,” Randy Thomasson, president of the Campaign for Children and Families, told WorldNetDaily. “It’s because Christian colleges and churches have ignored the political process for so long. Now the political process, absent religious values, is coming back to assault the church.”

“This isn’t even a veiled attempt at subtly advancing the radical homosexual agenda,” said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute. “SB1441 is an outright, blatant assault on religious freedom in California.”

Continue reading at WorldNet Daily…

Campaign for Children and Families (CA) PRESS RELEASE

Campaign for Children and Families is shocked and dismayed that California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed SB 1441 (Kuehl). Today’s disastrous action by Schwarzenegger means Christian and other faith-based colleges in California will be forced to promote transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality if they accept students with Cal Grants.

“People of conscience are appalled that Arnold Schwarzenegger has trampled religious freedom to satisfy hyperactive sexual activists,” said Randy Thomasson, president of Campaign for Children and Families (CCF), a leading California-based pro-family organization. “SB 1441 will force religious colleges to either abandon their Biblical standards on sexuality, or reject students with state financial aid. Schwarzenegger is doing what Gray Davis did – trample religious freedom at the bidding of liberal activists from San Francisco and West Hollywood.”

“Arnold Schwarzenegger has two faces,” said Thomasson. “He speaks at churches and says he believes in religious freedom and family values, yet he’s stabbing pro-family Californians in the back. People of faith are suffering under Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s not the lesser of two evils, he’s doing evil.”

CCF had informed thousands of Californians about SB 1441, generating thousands of phone calls, faxes, and emails opposing this offensive bill. Last week, the Governor was faxed letters pleading for a veto by Christian colleges, including Westmont College (Santa Barbara), Shasta Bible College (Redding), The King’s College and Seminary (Van Nuys), Vanguard University (Costa Mesa), Life Pacific College (San Dimas), Trinity Law School (Santa Ana), William Jessup University (Rocklin), and Simpson University (Redding).

Supported only by Democrats in the California State Legislature, SB 1441 specifically requires “any program or activity that…receives any financial assistance from the state” to support transsexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality or lose state funding. SB 1441 contains no exemption for religious colleges and universities that accept students with Cal Grants, or child-care providers that accept CalWORKS vouchers.